As the number of household pets increases, there exists a growing problem as to disposition of the pet remains. A pet owner has to determine how best to dispose of the remains when the pet dies given that residential pet burial is increasingly becoming illegal in more and more counties and states. Local landfills are often used as the only option for disposing of pet remains. For many pet owners, this option does not preserve the memory of the pet or respect for the pet's body once deceased. Accordingly, many veterinarians offer cremation as an option for pet owners. Some veterinarians have in-house crematories, while independent crematories are becoming more and more popular. A pet owner who selects cremation for his or her pet receives the pet's ashes after the cremation process. Alternatively, the pet owner may select non-return of the pet's ashes, whereby the crematory will cremate several animals at once and dispose of the ashes.
If the pet owner selects to have the pet's ashes returned, the ashes are typically returned in a plastic bag to the pet owner. For an additional fee, the pet owner may purchase a decorative urn that can be displayed in the pet owner's home that stores the bag of ashes. Many different types of urns of various sizes, shapes, materials and decorative features, such as pre-printed or hand written poems about the deceased pet, photographs and various other items and decorations are available in the market place. The urns are typically lined in a soft material, such as felt or suede, and include a sliding or hinged top for enclosing the plastic bag of ashes therein. However, there are shortcomings associated with such urns.
Such urns do not sufficiently secure the plastic bag of ashes, particularly if the urn is dropped or suddenly moved, which could lead to the plastic bag rupturing and spilling the ashes inside the urn and potentially spilling outside the urn. In addition, the plastic bag of ashes is also visually distasteful to a pet owner, who would rather have possession of the ashes but not be forced to view the ashes in a loose plastic bag. Accordingly, there is a need for a pet urn or container system that securely stores the ashes of a pet or other animal safely and efficiently, but does so in a way that is visually pleasing to the pet owner and provides a respectful presentation of the deceased pet. These and other needs are addressed by the container system of the present invention.